Michigan State's Oct. 13 upset loss to Iowa in Spartan Stadium seemed to turn the tide against the spartans in 2012, as it was the first of four losses by four points or less in five games for Coach Mark Dantonio's teamMike Mulholland | MLive.com

EAST LANSING — Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio and his players can be excused if they are a little weary and burned out at this time of the season.

It was a tough 2012 slate for the Spartans, as they fell short of preseason expectations en route to a 6-6 record, thanks largely to a 2-5 mark during an NCAA-tying string of four straight games decided by four points or less.

"As far as the program, from my standpoint, we've taken two steps up, 2010, 2011, we took two gigantic steps up, and we just took a step backwards going 6-6, any way you cut it,'' Dantonio told his team and their supporters at the team banquet on Sunday night at Kellogg Center.

"Don't ignore the elephant in the room, I always just tell them as it is, we took a step back,'' he said. "The most important thing is, we plant our foot, and we drive forward, and I think that's what this football team will do.''

TCU (7-5) is a high-profile opponent, riding a school-record, eight-season consecutive bowl streak, and a Michigan State win would do much to restore the image Dantonio and his staff worked to build with consecutive 11-win seasons.

Despite Dantonio's frank characterization of the season, the Spartans did maintain their own school-record bowl streak, now standing at six.

"After the last two years, there have been very very high expectations set here,'' Dantonio said."Usually when there's high expectations, any time you come up short on those expectations, there's going to be disappointment. When that happens, you're going to be tested.

"We felt that test throughout our season this year. Sometimes when these things happen it grounds you, and you have to reset yourself.''

Dantonio is giving his team ample time to do just that, allowing this week off leading up to Saturday's practice — and then giving his players next week off for class — to make sure there's ample time for rest, relaxation and healing.

"It is a fresh season,'' Dantonio said. "We've given our guys an opportunity to step away from football for a week. It allows them to take their football level down a little bit, get away from it, and concentrate on school.''

The Spartans, no doubt, will need to be focused and at their best against the Horned Frogs.

The game's outcome could prove pivotal in the program's immediate and long-term future, as Michigan State is staring down the barrel of a second losing record over the past four seasons.

"Were going to live on this for eight months, one way or another,'' Dantonio said, asked the importance of winning. "The difference between the Capital One Bowl (a 49-7 loss to Alabama, on Jan. 1, 2011) and the Outback Bowl in 2011 (a 33-30 triple-OT win, on Jan. 2, 2012) was huge, it all came down to did we win the game or not.''

The win over the Bulldogs was particularly important, as it sent a message nationally that Michigan State football was to be taken seriously.

The difference between 7-6 and 6-7, according to Dantonio "it defines a winning program and a losing program for that year.''

And in the Spartans' case, establishes a trend; quite a difference between selling three straight winning seasons to recruits, or explaining two losing seasons in four years.